


2023

by tajador



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Fluff, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-09 06:59:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7791397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tajador/pseuds/tajador
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Various short stories centered around the lives of tennis boys 15 years after the series' main events.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kaidoh

Kaidoh is in the habit of waking up just a few minutes before his morning alarm rings, turning it off before it could wake Inui up, his partner not particularly interested in going for a run at 6AM on a Sunday.

Summer meant light already filled their bedroom, the pattern of the curtains Kaidoh's mother bought them forming flower shaped shadows all over the bed. Kaidoh reaches a hand out of the bunched up bedsheets and haphazardly placed pillows and cushions to pet one of the many furballs resting on their bed, the orange tabby snuggled against his side stretching their cute lil paws and kneading at the bedcover without opening their eyes.

Kaidoh chuckles when another one of his cats slips out of their comfy sleeping spot between his and Inui's legs to come rub their head against Kaidoh's hand. A third cat pushes the bedroom door open and starts meowing at Kaidoh, the long black haired buddy ready for breakfast.

A few scratches behind the black cat's ears and they quiet down for a moment, allowing Kaidoh to look at the messages on his phone before slipping out of bed. It's part of his routine as well, all thanks to Echizen's lack of care for timezones and his local friends' debauched lifestyles.

He skips over Kirihara's overnight messages and into his 'conversation' with Echizen, which consisted of little more than an exchange of cat pictures. A picture timestamped with 4:06AM shows a messy haired and thinning himalayan sleeping as a younger kitten sat next to them. Seeing the 17 year old Karupin always threatened to bring tears to Kaidoh's eyes and makes him contemplate using his next few paychecks on a plane ticket to Florida.

Kaidoh prepares his reply by sitting up on his bed, aiming his phone at Inui's pillow where one of their cats was still sleeping, the havana brown snuggled up against Inui's short hair. He snaps the picture and sends it to Echizen before getting out of bed, three of his cats following him.

He picks his underwear off of the floor and throws them in the laundry basket before slipping into his training clothes, trying to be modest in front of his cats, sleeveless tops still a favorite of his even as his arms get smaller by the day.

Kaidoh walks to the kitchen and two more furry friends join him, most of his cats ready for breakfast, insistently meowing and rubbing against his legs. He pours food into the seven bowls, all of his furry buddies now running to the kitchen excitedly. Kaidoh laughs as he watches them, his silly cats bringing him more joy than anything else, probably even more than the guy sleeping in his bed and his disastrous best friends. No offense.

But Kaidoh still had a hard time calling his cats by their actual names, too embarrassed to do so after he regretfully allowed his old teammates to name them. It started with Kikumaru taking offense to how their first and oldest cat still didn't have a name after living with them for three months, and was as of such baptized _Chocolate_.

Then it became tradition, whoever called first upon hearing that Kaidoh and Inui adopted a new cat would get the right to name them. Kaidoh did nothing to stop it, the shock of his life happening on the same evening that he had adopted his fifth cat, Tezuka calling from Germany to make sure the havana brown would be named _Fish_.

Needless to say that Oishi and Momoshiro, who hadn't gotten their chance to name a cat yet, were both baffled by the questionable name and the fact that their former captain had shown such prompt interest in naming one of the cats that he had gotten ahead of them.

The memory makes Kaidoh chuckle as he leans against the counter isle, watching his cats eat eagerly. The sun gradually warming up the room reminds him to go train if he wants to be back in time to cook breakfast, so he grabs a towel and heads out.

 

* * *

 

His endurance nowadays was a shadow of what he had as a teenager, but Kaidoh never once considered stopping training. If anything, working in an office made him crave exercising even further, making it routine even if it didn't serve a particular aim anymore. Kaidoh figures he just likes training, and maybe also the way Inui always caresses his muscles, even if they're half the size they used to be.

It's still early enough for the summer weather to not hit Kaidoh too hard, allowing him to easily run across their whole neighborhood, the suburban streets still quiet this early into a Sunday. He runs by his parents' house, reminding himself to visit in the upcoming week, sprints by Kawamura's restaurant before he's seen and invited over for food, and finally reaches the riverbank he used to train at as a teenager.

He sits in the grass for a moment, his breath short, snorting at his own growing lack of endurance. He'd blame his approaching thirties, but with Tezuka and Sanada still out there winning championships, he figures it'd be a pretty bad excuse.

Kaidoh lies down to stare up at the clouds, the nearby insects' singing so relaxing they threaten to make him doze off, so he opts for some stretching exercises instead. His shoulders crack a little when he lifts his arms upwards, and he struggles to reach his toes when he leans forward. 

 

* * *

 

Kaidoh peeks into the bedroom as soon as he gets back home, relieved to see his partner still snoozing, some of the cats already back in the bed to sleep besides Inui. His shower can wait, cooking breakfast before Inui wakes up being the current priority.

 _Fish_ and _Donkitty_  (Thanks a lot Momoshiro) jump up the kitchen isle's stools to watch as Kaidoh places rice in the steamer and prepares a few slices of fish while a pan heats up, using up all of his strength to resist sharing a slice with _Sushi_ , their chubbiest cat leaning against his leg while he spices the meat.

Eggs are broilling in the pan when another visitor sneaks into the kitchen, Inui pressing against Kaidoh's back and resting his head on his shoulder to watch. "Smells nice."

"Morning. You're up early." Kaidoh replies, a bit disappointed that he didn't get to finish cooking before Inui woke up.

"I've been awake since someone snapped a picture of my handsome sleeping face." Inui presses a quick kiss  to Kaidoh's jaw, making him smile.

"I was taking a picture of the cat."

"Right." Inui squeezes Kaidoh's hips before pulling away. "Anything I can help with? Juice, maybe?"

"Very funny. You can set the table." Kaidoh smiles despite the bad joke, focusing on his cooking again.

Kaidoh being an overachiever in everything he did meant staying in his office much longer than required, and his regular visits to local bars with Momoshiro didn't help. Inui spent a lot of time at work as well, his slightly more prestigious position in pharmaceutics requiring regular overtime, so their few days off were always enjoyed together.

Inui discusses with their cats while Kaidoh finishes preparing their meal, carefully arranging their plates before sitting at the table with them. The cats jump up on the remaining chairs, clearly interested in the food yet polite enough to not walk on the table.

Kaidoh laughs at them before digging into his plate, watching Inui enthusiastically doing the same across from him. Kaidoh has a passing thought for his mother, thinking that he now understands why she always looked so happy when their family was all together for dinner.

Except he had three times as many children as she did, and all of them were covered in hair. And a few other things broke the fairy tale image of his life, like the constant buzzing of the cellphone in his pocket thanks to his friends whining about their hangovers and other misfortunes.

Kaidoh is pulled out of his daydreams by Inui rubbing his foot against Kaidoh's calf, looking at him with a smile from across the table. "Did you pull a muscle while stretching?"

"Maybe? You can tell?" Kaidoh raises an eyebrow while stuffing a chunk of fish into his mouth.

"Of course. Want me to massage it later?" Inui doesn't sound like he's suggesting anything more than a purely medical and platonic massage, but Kaidoh can feel the tip of his ears reddening anyways.

"Okay. But I need to bathe first." Kaidoh annoys himself with the way he blushes at his own words and eats his rice faster.

"Interesting." They both laugh at that, thankful their cats can't understand what they're saying. They make small talk until their plates are empty, their legs tangled together under the table.

"I'll take care of the dishes." Inui smiles and clears the table, the cats jumping off the chairs and following him, allowing Kaidoh to slip into the bathroom without any furry intruders sneaking in.

 

* * *

 

Kaidoh is already in the bath by the time Inui walks into the room, his partner pulling down his pajama pants before carefully folding them, allowing Kaidoh a nice view of his behind while he showers. 

Inui had gotten even taller towards the end of his teenage years, but his body had stayed as lithe and lanky, which Echizen and Momoshiro apparently found hilarious when they had arranged Things together the few times Echizen made the trip to Japan in the past years.

But Kaidoh likes it. He still thinks Inui is the most handsome dude he knows, which means a lot because Kaidoh knows a lot of handsome dudes. And it's not like his best friends were in any position to laugh at anyone anyways, Momoshiro with his beer belly and Echizen who somehow still had the same cute face despite having abnormally expanded in both height and width.

Inui slips into the bath by the time Kaidoh finishes his inner argument, his partner sitting in front of him before grabbing his leg, fingers strong but gentle as they massage Kaidoh's sore muscles.

"You should be more careful with your exercises. Don't push your body so much." Inui's words show both nag and worry, Kaidoh thinking he'd argue if he wasn't so focused on the feeling of Inui's fingers pressing and rubbing against his leg. "I could help you come up with a training regimen if you'd like to get some of your flexibility back."

"Are you still qualified for that?" Kaidoh scoffs, but a warm feeling of nostalgia fills his chest anyways.

Inui smiles in turn and leans forward to kiss him, his hands sliding further up Kaidoh's leg. Kaidoh feels his cheeks heat up as he returns the kiss, moving his hands up his partner's arms before resting them on his shoulders. Inui grabs his hips then, massaging them under the water while his mouth moves from Kaidoh's mouth to his jaw, a trail of kisses until he presses his lips to Kaidoh's neck.

Kaidoh smiles as his fingers curl in Inui's short hair, pressing him closer while trying to wrap his legs around his partner's waist to be more comfortable in the small tub. His other hand rubs up and down Inui's back, enjoying the feeling of lips caressing his neck before kissing along his collarbones.

Inui's hands move up until his arms wrap Kaidoh up in a hug, pulling him close enough for their chests to be pressed against each other, Kaidoh staring at Inui's big goofy smile from up close before leaning in to kiss him again, fluttery feeling in his chest as if it was still the first time they kissed and not the thousandth of thousands.

They would probably keep at it for hours if it wasn't for the obnoxious scratching and meowing at the bathroom door, Kaidoh and Inui's cats demanding their own share of attention and snuggles.


	2. Momoshiro

Obnoxious shouting and laughing drags Momoshiro awake, feeling groggy both from jet lag and because he apparently passed out on the floor, a bedsheet thrown over him and a plush toy serving as his pillow.

He stares at the colorful blanket hanging over his head, held up by chairs and clothespins, the makeshift blanket fort still lit up by cheap christmas lights despite the sunlight coming through.

A ridiculous amount of plush toys cover the floor, Karupin camouflaged among them, the senior cat apparently not as bothered by all the noise coming from the kitchen as Momoshiro was.

Momoshiro drags himself out of the blanket fort set up in Echizen's condo's living room, greeted by the simultaneous _'Good morning!'_ shout of Echizen's nephew and niece.

Echizen's fool of a brother had somehow ended up with two children 6 years ago, and Momoshiro's yearly trips to Florida (having a celebrity as your boyfriend had its perks) had since then turned into babysitting excursions, Ryoga _'coincidentally'_ always going on vacation whenever Momoshiro visited.

But the kids, twin boy and girl with tan skin, loud voices and gold eyes like Echizen, were a blast to watch over despite the occasional language barrier issues what with the kids' knowledge of Japanese being limited to their surname and Momoshiro only getting to practice English for two weeks per year.

Momoshiro sits between them to watch Echizen prepare their luxurious and healthy breakfast; his boyfriend removing leftover slices of pizza from one of the four remaining boxes before placing them on plates and microwaving them for 40 seconds each. Ah yes. The American Dream.

Echizen's new cat, a cloud of white fur nicknamed 'Koko' with twice the energy the elderly Karupin has, jumps up on the table Momoshiro and the kids were waiting for breakfast at, knowing they would also get their share. Momoshiro snickers as he thinks about how offended Kaidoh would be by the whole scene, reminded of the one time he almost got kicked out of his drinking buddy's house for feeding his cats at the table. Not to mention the breakfast pizza.

 

* * *

 

Momoshiro barely has time to tie his long hair up that Echizen's nephews are tugging on his pants and yelling at him to hurry and come into the water, the brats so excited about being at the beach, as if they didn't live here and go every other day already. Momoshiro is the one who's truly excited about the burning white sand tickling his toes and  the bright blue ocean filled with wildlife.

Echizen snorts at them while applying sunscreen on his arms, either unaware of how many people on the crowded beach were staring at him, or simply used to the attention. Momoshiro finishes tying up his bun and picks both kids up, running towards the ocean with the twins on his shoulders, all three of them shouting before Momoshiro launches the kids into the water. The twins are laughing and screaming 'Again! Again!' as they splash around Momoshiro, but they soon get distracted by the fishes swimming around them, leaving their kinda-uncle alone in favor of the local fauna.

Momoshiro keeps an eye on them while walking back to their parasol, where Echizen was still applying sunscreen.

"Help me out?" Echizen had grown to have a thick accent whenever he spoke in Japanese now, to the point where Kirihara freaked out and thought they could never understand each other ever again last time Echizen visited Japan. It probably could've been avoided if Echizen called his friends sometimes, but he insisted on specializing in instant messaging and cat picture exchange services.

"You got it!" Momoshiro takes the bottle and pours some on his hands before rubbing it into Echizen's wide shoulders and muscular back. Momoshiro had gotten used to it after all these years, but the first time Kaidoh and him had made the trip to the United States after graduating high school and faced their formerly dwarfy teammate's six feet and then some was quite a shocking experience.

Momoshiro can never tell whether all the people who stare at Echizen whenever they go out do so because he's admittedly incredibly handsome (imo) or because they recognize him as the famous athlete he is. Either way, Momoshiro enjoys it, feeling like quite the handsome celebrity himself, a fun change from being the nobody office worker he actually is.

His fingers linger a bit longer on Echizen's lower back, lowkey wishing he had more opportunities to touch his boyfriend, especially considering how they only saw each other a few times per year, but they had important duties as babysitters. On second thought, this might be exactly what Ryoga was aiming for by _'coincidentally'_ dropping his kids on his brother whenever Momoshiro visited...

"All done!" Momoshiro gives a light tap on Echizen's butt to conclude his work, yelling when Echizen strikes back with a very powerful slap to his bottom. They run towards the water while laughing together, joining their nephews in their great fish spotting and wave jumping activities.

 

* * *

 

"This is so nostalgic..." Momoshiro says while dipping his overly salty fries in mayonnaise with one hand and munching away at the burger in his other hand.

"We eat at burger joints more than half the times we go out together." Echizen replies, smiling before biting into his burger.

"Whatever! It makes me feel like a kid again! A kid who could eat half a dozen of burgers per meal and still have killer abs!"

"Don't worry, I like your... big, singular, ab." Echizen replies with a coy smile and Momoshiro kicks him under the table, making his boyfriend laugh as he kicked back. The kids laugh next to them, apparently able to understand when Momoshiro is getting Owned regardless of language barriers.

The twins start jumping on their seats and yelling about wanting to go play in the restaurant's park as soon as they finish their food, Momoshiro helping the young girl take her shoes off while Echizen wiped some ketchup off of his nephew's face.

The kids run off to play right after, climbing up the structures and crawling into the tunnels, chatting with the other kids they meet.

"I'm so jealous." Momoshiro whines, making Echizen laugh in response.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you're still under the height limit." Echizen never misses an opportunity to take a jab at him, possible revenge 15 years after middle school.

"You brat! At least I'm all chiseled and handsome!" Momoshiro places a hand on his own jaw for emphasis, using his other hand to pinch his boyfriend's cheek, "Unlike you who's still all cute!"

Echizen swats his hand away with a laugh before grabbing it, lacing their fingers together. 

 

* * *

 

They're back in their blanket fort by the time the sun sets, a few more pillows and several bags of chips added to the luxurious hideout set up in the middle of Echizen's living room. The kids say the cheap christmas lights look like stars, the only thing providing light in the room aside from the TV they were currently watching the latest Power Rangers series on.

Momoshiro, laying down on a pile of plush toys, can't help but compare it with its counterpart Sentai series every other scene, the kids way too captivated by the exciting action scenes and shenanigans the protagonists got into to listen to anything he was saying. They're both leaning against their maybe-uncle, occasionally hitting him by _'accident'_ when copying the heroes' poses.

As for Echizen, Momoshiro can feel his weight resting on his butt, his boyfriend probably already passed tf out on the improvised pillow. Karupin was calmly snuggling against Echizen, but Koko runs in and out of the blanket fort, attacking the lights and plush toys, the twins laughing while playing with the overly energetic kitten.

Momoshiro is almost sad that Echizen's fool of a brother is coming back home tomorrow, wishing he could babysit the kids for a bit longer, days like these honestly fitting his definition of perfect.


	3. Zaizen

Zaizen can't say he ever had big hopes & dreams for his future, but he sure knows that his teen self would never have guessed that he'd spend his evenings getting drunk with people he considered annoying, and certainly not that he'd be roommates with the worse of them. Again.

He trudges through all the trash on their living room floor, a terrifying mix of empty bags of chips, underwear, beer cans and sticky candy wrappers threatening to make him fall tf down or worse, dirty the shoes that cost him the entirety of his most recent measly paycheck.

Zaizen pinches Kirihara's nose to wake him up, his roommate still in his sweaty gym teacher clothes, making him cough and wake up fearing for his life. "What's going on!? Who are you!? What do you want from me!?"

"Stop. Aren't you coming to the bar tonight?" Zaizen attempts to dig up decent clothes in the cluttered living room, throwing a crumpled dress shirt and stained jeans in Kirihara's general direction.

"Shit! Right!" Kirihara shamelessly strips off his slacks and puts on whatever Zaizen threw at him before rummaging through the couch's cracks for his wallet.

Zaizen had moved to Tokyo to pursue the musical career of his dreams back when he was still in high school, hoping to make his Big Break by working with Shiraishi on an album, except his former captain decided to drop the idea a week before the scheduled release. 

Good for him, who now owns a shady medicinal herb shop back in Osaka, but Zaizen has been stuck in Tokyo ever since, working as a record producer with an average of two contracts per month, with indie bands who never find much success.

He probably ended up sharing rent with Kirihara because his roommate had gone through a similar path, making it pro for a few months before he dropped it all in favor of a modest job as a PE teacher at a local elementary school.

And then there's that whole thing where all their friends have totally rich boyfriends despite their similarly crummy jobs while Zaizen had had the brilliant idea of dumping Kenya's medical assistant ass almost a decade ago because he thought he couldn't do long distance relationships. He regrets it almost as much as his bank account does.

Petty envy aside, this also means their friends could easily be coaxed into buying them drinks, so Zaizen always looks forward to these get-togethers. Kirihara steps on the coffee table to avoid the clutter and slips sandals over his socks (disgusting) before following Zaizen out of their flat.

 

* * *

 

Momoshiro cheers obnoxiously loudly when they arrive at the bar, their friend clearly a few beers into the night already, excitedly waving his hands around the dude sitting next to him.

"Damn! Hiyoshi! You manage to escape your mystery boyfriend's dungeon!?" Kirihara voices Zaizen's thoughts as he runs up to their former roommate to slap his back. Hiyoshi had never been big on their outings, his job as a librarian highlighting just how much of an awkward stick in the mud he was, but ever since he had scored himself some lawyer boyfriend who none of them were allowed to meet, he had become an ultra rare sight.

Zaizen greets him with a handshake before taking a seat next to Kaidoh, who was chowing down on several plates of food instead of enjoying beer, as he often did. He faintly smelled of cat piss tbh, but Zaizen enjoyed his presence anyways, his friend one of the only people to not ask him about his job, just like how he never asked Kaidoh if he enjoyed sitting at a computer all day long.

The only problem with Kaidoh is that he kept bringing up Zaizen's middle school teammates, apparently unaware that not everyone had the same chance as him, who lived in a little fairy tale town where all his childhood friends were basically living happily ever after married lives, and the two who weren't could be seen on any sports channel or magazine.

On the other hand, Zaizen's team was a nice old mess, so scattered that they didn't even know what country Chitose and Kintaro traveled in anymore.

He's dragged out of his ruminating by Kirihara's shouting, his roommate apparently having already succeeded in getting Hiyoshi to treat all of them to shots. The waiter slams the drinks down on the table and Kirihara and Zaizen both rush to grab one, gulping them down in one go, Momoshiro and Kaidoh following them while Hiyoshi simply sips at his as if it were a cup of tea.

An increasingly drunk Momoshiro was now relating his latest adventures in the big ole United States, using English words every other sentence as he frequently did whenever he returned from his yearly trips. Zaizen wonders if his next contract would give him enough to spare for a train ticket back home, a passing thought for his grandparents in Osaka that he hadn't seen in years.

Kaidoh calls for a round of beer after finishing his meal and Kirihara interrupts Momoshiro's story by shouting about how they needed to commemorate Hiyoshi's rare appearance, pulling out his phone to take a picture while leaning against his former roommate. The initially disgruntled Momoshiro leans against Hiyoshi's other side while Kaidoh and Zaizen stay seated behind, not making any further effort than simply looking at the phone.

Kirihara takes a dozen more pictures of him and Hiyoshi, making all sorts of different poses and expressions while Hiyoshi stares at the lens blankly. Momoshiro comes sit on the other side of their table, leaning forward so he can talk to Zaizen even with Kaidoh sitting between them.

"Buddy, you need to call Kenya one of these days. The dude asks me about you each damn time we talk." Momoshiro's words make Zaizen sigh, his active efforts to ignore his former teammate not something he can give up easily.

"You sure can talk." Zaizen replies, knowing Momoshiro only ever exchanged text messages with his boyfriend.

"That's different! It's Echizen! We could not talk for a year and next time we'd see each other we'd still be as lovey-dovey as the last time we saw each other!"

"Ew." is all Zaizen replies, and Momoshiro nods in agreement after realizing what he just said. As for Kaidoh, their discussion apparently made him remember to check something on his phone, their friend smiling eerily while scrolling through cat pictures. Okay.

"Anyways, think about it, okay pal? Think about his sweet salary..." Momoshiro says and Zaizen chuckles, admittedly having been thinking about Kenya more often lately, what with not having scored any dick in the past 7 months and 11 days. Something he blamed on his friends, who were either obnoxious or wearing jewelry on their ring fingers, safely scaring away any potential bachelors.

 

* * *

 

Zaizen walks through the dimly lit city streets, a bit dizzy but mostly annoyed by the heavy load he had to carry on his back, Kirihara drunk off his ass and singing every other song that played in the bar right into Zaizen's ear, getting all the lyrics wrong. These kind of evenings make Zaizen wonder if it's truly worth having to take care of someone just to pay half on rent.

But in all honesty, he'd take carrying a cheery drunk Kirihara on his back every day rather than go through what they had a few years back. Early adulthood debauchery and their thrill seeking dumb asses had the brilliant idea of getting them into drugs, which was all fun and games until Zaizen had to carry an unconscious Kirihara to the hospital.

Kirihara always talks and acts as if his former teammates scorn him for giving up on his pro career, but Zaizen remembers how they rushed all the way from Kanagawa to come see their brat at the hospital. He also vividly remembers Kirihara's overly pretty former captain basically threatening to personally kill both Kirihara and Zaizen himself if they didn't ease up on the hard drugs.

"Dude... Hey... Want to play tennis?" Kirihara's voice interrupts Zaizen's thoughts, and his words make him snicker.

"Just how drunk are you?"

"No man I'm serious!" He hiccups then, wrapping his arms around Zaizen's chest instead of letting them dangle on his sides. "We should play! It's been way too long!"

Zaizen still played every other week, mostly just because Kaidoh needed a pal to exchange shots with, but he hadn't seen Kirihara hold a racket since he quit his pro career. "Yeah, okay. In the morning. Don't cry if you lose."

Kirihara just laughs before going back to his drunken singing, his kicking feet threatening to make Zaizen fall tf down half a dozen of times until they reach their apartment block.

He flings Kirihara on the couch after tripping over an empty cup of instant noodles, and throws his jacket over him as an improvised blanket. 

Zaizen rummages through the clutter filled wardrobe in the bedroom, clothes they weren't sure who owned anymore so they just shared them all, boxes covered in countless crumpled shirts and pants hiding old trinkets and sports equipment.

Zaizen pulls one of them out and finds a black Wilson racket inside, scoffing at the middle school memories it brings back. He puts Kirihara's racket on top of the stacks of sheet music and concert ads on the desk, quietly hoping his roommate will still want to play when he wakes up sober in the morning.

Ignoring the snoring coming from the living room, Zaizen lets himself fall on the broken mattress that he considers a bed, kicks his shoes off and pulls out his phone to message Kenya.

_'Hey. Call me when you wake up.'_

There's a small smile on his face when he passes out.


	4. Yukimura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is embarrassingly cheesy and i am sorry

A few colorful swipes across a canvas and Yukimura sees one of the hundreds of flower bouquets decorating his house come to life in a painting, his slower days of work spent painting traditionally rather than digitally as most of his clients requested. He wraps his shawl around his shoulders once its time to let the paint dry, walking towards his kitchen to make himself some tea.

Working from home had its perks, but part of Yukimura still envied those who could freely come and go wherever they liked without health bounding them. He had yet to relapse as badly as he had as a teenager, but half of his college years were spent in the infirmary. Then again, the excruciating nature of art school might be to blame for that.

Yukimura places some of his home grown leaves and fruit into an infuser, taking in the smell of the flowers decorating his shelves, which took up more space in his kitchen than actual kitchenware did. He leans against his fridge while enjoying the pleasant summer breeze coming through the open backyard door, not bothered by the dragonflies hovering nearby and the bees buzzing in, just as curious about his indoor plants than his large garden.

The door rings then, surprising Yukimura who expects all of his friends to be at work during the day, or to be Niou, who would just walk in uninvited.

He slides his front door open only to be greeted by his childhood friend, Sanada seemingly bulkier and sharper faced each time he saw him, which was usually on a television screen and not on his front porch.

"Didn't have time to tell me you would be visiting during your flight halfway across the globe?" Yukimura teases, still a bit stunned.

"I'm sorry." Sanada is curt but his voice sounds better than ever, Yukimura so happy to hear him after all this time. "I just arrived. I bought my flight ticket two days ago. I didn't pack anything."

Yukimura laughs, his former teammate sounding disgruntled and confused by his own spontaneity and lack of organization. "What brings you here, then?"

"Hm. Can I come in?" Sanada asks as if he genuinely feared Yukimura would lock him outside of his house. Sanada had no reason to worry, as Yukimura only reserved this kind of treatment to Kirihara and his friends.

"Of course. Please," Yukimura moves out of the way to allow Sanada to walk in, but stops his childhood friend before he steps on the mats. "No shoes. Put these on."

Yukimura picks a pair of red knitted slippers up and hands them to Sanada.

"Did you make these yourself?" Sanada sounds impressed, which he better be.

"Yes. Fuji taught me last time he visited." Yukimura says, watching in amusement as Sanada tries fitting his feet into them.

"I see." Sanada walks into the living room, looking left and right, seemingly interested in the flowers that covered Yukimura's house.

"Take a seat. I was just preparing tea." Yukimura pours each of them a cup, his eyes trailing towards the pictures that covered his fridge. One of them depicted Sanada and himself standing besides Yanagi, the two year old photograph taken at their friend's wedding marking the last time Yukimura saw Sanada. And indeed, he didn't seem as bulky back then as he did today.

Sanada reaches to grab one of the cups of tea when Yukimura walks back to the living room, his calloused fingers grazing Yukimura's hand as he does so.

"Thank you." Sanada doesn't wait until it cools down before drinking, either resistant to tongue burns or too nervous to think. Yukimura believes the second option is more likely.

"Any reason a celebrity such as yourself felt like knocking on my door unannounced?" Yukimura asks, genuinely curious but unable to keep himself from poking a bit of fun at his former teammate.

"I..." Sanada takes another gulp out of his tea, never pulling his eyes away from Yukimura's face. "I wanted to see you."

Yukimura bursts out laughing, tucking a long strand of hair behind his ear while his other hand covers his mouth.

"Don't laugh." Sanada's words make Yukimura laugh even more, only stopping to take a sip out of his cup.

"Sorry, sorry. You just surprised me. Do you plan on seeing the others as well?"

"I suppose. But I wanted to talk with you first." Sanada presses his fingers against the cup, and Yukimura hopes he knows he'll be paying for a new one if it cracks.

"Anything in particular, then? Would you like to know the secrets of my home brewed tea? Or how to knit slippers?" Sanada smiles then, and it warms Yukimura's chest more than the tea did.

"Maybe later. How are you doing, Yukimura?" Either Sanada had nothing to talk about, or he was trying to delay what he actually wanted to say.

"Fine, thank you. I only fell down twice within the past month, and both times were at Yagyuu's extravagant _soirées_."

"He insists on inviting me to all of those too, even when he knows I have a tournament coming up."

"He's just lonely. Niou isn't a very reliable or present partner, after all." They both chuckle as they discuss their old teammates' eccentricities.

"Regarding that... Are you seeing anyone, Yukimura?"

"Why yes, Yanagi, Marui, Jackal, Yagyuu, Niou, Fuji, Shiraishi, my doctor, my clients..."

"Please don't joke." Sanada's overly serious tone makes Yukimura chuckle again, but he doesn't answer as he smiles towards his childhood friend.

Sanada looks like he wants to say more, but he takes a sip at his empty tea cup instead.

"How about you, Sanada?" Yukimura asks with a smile, even if he already knows the answer.

"Of course not. I have no time for such frivolous things with my career." Sanada sounds almost offended at the question.

"Really now? Echizen seems just fine. As does Atobe, if his one-sided romance is anything to go by." Yukimura jokes but Sanada doesn't seem to find anything funny in it.

They remain quiet for the following minutes, only speaking up to make small talk or exchange gossip on their old friends.

 

* * *

 

Yukimura invites Sanada into his garden once the sun sets, bare feet against the grass as they watch fireflies hover around the flowers.

It reminds Yukimura of their childhood, evenings spent in each other's family's backyards, sharing their dreams and ambitions for the future. Now they were entering their thirties and Sanada stood on top of the world while Yukimura sat at home illustrating children books.

"Yukimura." Sanada sounds even more serious than he usually does, and Yukimura doesn't laugh this time. He turns to look at his childhood friend, his lightly wrinkled traits sharp and attractive under the dim garden lanterns.

"Feel free to hate me for what I will say. I know I have no right to say this after all my failures and my constant running." Sanada's words take Yukimura aback, making him feel something akin to fear he hadn't felt since his teenage years. Sanada takes a deep breath.

"I like you, Yukimura!" Sanada yells, but Yukimura still wonders if he heard wrong. "I always have."

Yukimura stares at Sanada for what feels like several minutes, expecting him to back away or change his mind. But he doesn't. He looks right into Yukimura's eyes without wavering, his stare burning right through him.

They stare at each other until Yukimura snorts before breaking into an unstoppable laughter. His eyes are shut tight as tears start forming at the corner of his eyes, but he can imagine how shocked Sanada probably looks. Yukimura slams a hand against his thigh and covers his mouth with the other, unable to stop himself from laughing.

"What's wrong?" Sanada finally speaks up, sounding distressed.

"It's just," Yukimura wipes a tear at the corner of his eye away, "I've been waiting to hear this for over 20 years now."

Sanada's eyes widen, his childhood friend seeming genuinely shocked that he wasn't being rejected.

"I've loved you since we were teenagers. I always believed that I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you." Yukimura speaks honestly, no poison hidden in his words for once.

"I... I did not expect this. Why have you never said anything?" Sanada replies, dumbfounded, and Yukimura smiles at how dense he can be.

"I figured that if all of our hand holding and caressing didn't send the message, words probably wouldn't have worked either. My bad." Yukimura understands now that Sanada was likely blinded by self-deprecation.

"All these years... I thought part of you hated me. For my weakness and failures... I did not want to impose my feelings on you." Sanada speaks bluntly, confirming Yukimura's thoughts.

"Look at you," Yukimura smiles, his fingers lightly grazing Sanada's chin. "You're everything we ever dreamed to be. As for me..."

Yukimura extends his arms, playfully showcasing his grandmother-worthy outfit which smelled of herbs and was covered in stubborn stains of paint and ink.

"You're..." Sanada doesn't let Yukimura finish his sentence, his hand reaching for Yukimura's own, his strong fingers lacing between Yukimura's own bony ones. "You're perfect."

Sanada's words were uncharacteristically quiet, but they make Yukimura smile nonetheless, the overwhelming feeling in his chest simply indescribable.

They look at each other for the longest time while squeezing each other's hand, all of Yukimura's teenage affections returning as he feels Sanada's warm fingers between his own. He raises his other hand to Sanada's cheek, feeling the light stubble there before leaning forward, almost regretfully closing his eyes.

Sanada's lips seem to quiver under Yukimura's own, his childhood friend gripping his hand tighter while parting his lips, letting himself be kissed. Yukimura moves his hand to the back of Sanada's neck and pulls him in closer, letting his tongue slide along his lips, breath stuck in his throat when Sanada rests his other hand on his hip. Yukimura responds by burying his fingers in Sanada's hair, his tongue exploring his former teammate's mouth, kissing him in one of the thousands of ways he had imagined over the past two decades.

They pull away for a second in an attempt to catch their breath, Sanada's hand massaging Yukimura's hip while resting their foreheads against each other. Yukimura chuckles again, unable to believe he wasn't dreaming the fact that he was (finally) kissing his first love while sitting in his garden at the ripe age of 30.

"I love you, Yukimura." Sanada almost whispers and Yukimura would laugh if it weren't for the smile that forms on his face, the amount of joy he felt in the moment simply overwhelming.


	5. Atobe

"Have we arrived yet?" Atobe asks for the fourth time, dramatically wiping his sweating forehead and stretching his legs, the pain of sitting in a car for more than a few minutes bringing unbearable pain to both his body and mind.

"No." Tezuka's reply is still the same, and Atobe simply cannot comprehend how his friend manages to drive a car for such a long time, no personal driver or plane at his disposal despite all of the fame and fortune associated to being a professional athlete.

"Why must you refuse all my offers of transportation? We would already have reached our destination had we taken a jet." Atobe asks while prodding at his forehead with a silken handkerchief.

"The commute is part of the excursion as well. And an aircraft couldn't land without damaging the nearby area." Tezuka's eyes are glued to the road as he replies with common sense, his wrinkled eyes squinting behind thick framed glasses. 

Atobe scoffs in response, adjusting the memory foam pillow resting behind his head. This would mark his third hiking trip in Tezuka's company, and his third time hoping that the romantic atmosphere of nature and its shining stars and swaying leaves and singing birds and nice smelling wildflowers and whatever else people considered romantic would finally open Tezuka's eyes and make him SEE

 

* * *

 

"We're here." Tezuka's voice pulls Atobe out of his spontaneous nap, his entire body sore from the painful car ride across the southern german countryside, Tezuka driving them to the base of a mountain in Switzerland. "...Are you sure about this, Atobe? You seem exhausted and we haven't even started."

"Hah! You underestimate me, Tezuka. Have I not told you that hiking is my passion, second only to tennis? Have you not witnessed my prowess the last times we braved mountains at each other's side?" Atobe exclaims, gracefully exiting the modest car's passenger seat, rearranging his blouse and crocodile leather pants.

"Hm. Okay. Should I let you change into your hiking clothes?" Tezuka scans Atobe from head to toe, giving him the opportunity to pose in a highly fashionable way, highlighting his outfit and fit body. Tezuka doesn't flinch.

"Haha! Good one, Tezuka! See, this blouse has unfortunately been stained with a drop of wine. As for these pants, they are from last winter's collection. I simply cannot be seen wearing these out in public. As of such, I judged them ideal for our excursion into the great wilderness." Atobe replies proudly, ready to impress Tezuka with his forward thinking, knowing this was a much better outfit selection than the time he ruined one of his brand new Gucci suits by walking through the forest with it.

"Okay." Is all Tezuka says while untying the mysterious constructs that decorated the top of his car. They had an elongated shape that featured a hole in the middle that harbored what Atobe assumed were benches made for toddlers, and their bright colors were unworthy of being seen by Atobe's eyes.

"What might these primitive objects be?" Atobe simply stands and watches as Tezuka does all the work.

"Kayaks. We're going to reach the base of the mountain range by paddling." Tezuka doesn't seem to realize how blasphemous his words were as he lifts one of the _'kayaks'_ off the top of his car and onto the ground.

"Paddling? You mean move across water by using our arms? That... That is..." Atobe wants to express his offense, but Tezuka stares at him accusingly. "... Wonderful. Absolutely thrilling."

"Hm. Take your bags and help me carry your boat to the shore." Tezuka takes his sole backpack before giving Atobe a leopard printed bag and a lilac backpack.

 

* * *

 

Now, kayaking in itself wasn't too mortifying. Atobe was a professional athlete after all, so speeding across the water wasn't much of a physical challenge. The water that seeped around him and soaked his leather pants were an entirely different story, however. As were the bugs surrounding him and the unbearable pain of sitting on the makeshift plastic seat of the boat.

"Are you alright?" Tezuka follows far enough behind for their boats to not bump into each other, probably thinking he outsmarted Atobe by wearing nothing but swimming shorts, at ease in the water. The fool. At least Atobe's beautiful skin won't end up covered in bug bites.

"Of course. You've gotten slow, Tezuka!" Atobe turns his head around gracefully to make his silky hair sway in the wind as he looks behind him.

"I'm enjoying the nature around us." Tezuka's reply is stern, but he seems to pick up the pace anyways. Atobe does the same, the two of them initiating a race across the lake. The thrill almost makes Atobe forget how uncomfortable the kayak was.

The lake turns into a river past a certain point, the lush forest surrounding them on both sides, additional effort required to make it upstream. Atobe can feel his hands getting sore, the paddle threatening to injure his elegant hands.

"We should take a break here." Tezuka angles his kayak towards the shore, a plot of sand and rocks allowing their boats to stay in place without floating away.

"Hah! Are you already tired, Tezuka?" Atobe exclaims, secretly thankful for a potential moment of rest.

"No. I want to go for a swim." Tezuka stands up from his boat, allowing a good view of his shirtless torso. Excellent.

"Why, of course! As do I!" Atobe declares while eyeing all of the algae and fish he could see under his boat in disgust.

Tezuka throws himself into the river's water, apparently not bothered by the various lifeforms inhabiting the water, swimming towards the middle of the river with what seems to be a smile on his face. What a mysterious man.

"By god! The water is freezing!" Atobe dips a toe into the water but immediately retracts it upon feeling the excruciating cold of the river. "What temperature might this be!? 60 degrees!?"

"It should be nearing 80 degrees at this time of the year, actually. I understand if that's too cold for you, Atobe." Tezuka almost sound like he's taunting him, which Atobe absolutely will not stand for.

"Hahaha! Freezing is exactly how I like it! I am the Ice Emperor, after all!" Atobe regrets his words as he jumps into the river, the water reaching up to his leather-clad calves.

He makes sure Tezuka is still looking in his direction as he elegantly removes his blouse, letting his perfectly muscular yet lean chest shine under the sunlight. Atobe then lowers his pants, admittedly surprised that Tezuka was still looking at him.

"Like what you see, Tezuka?" Atobe reveals his flower printed briefs, hoping Tezuka appreciates his toned thighs.

"Indeed. Wild boars rarely approach humans from this close. I'm amazed."

"What!?" Atobe turns around then, catching the sights of a hairy pig, much larger than any of the ones inhabiting his personal zoo.

Now, Atobe wasn't scared of anything, but the initial shock of finding such a creature standing this close to him makes Atobe express his surprise in a sophisticated and controlled yell (read: shriek) and stumble into the water. The sound makes the wild boar run away, clearly intimidated by Atobe's imposing presence.

"Ah... She ran away. But I hope you found the experience enlightening." Tezuka swims closer to the shore to help Atobe up.

Tezuka's hand wraps around Atobe's wrist as he pulls him away from the shore, his fingers somehow more distracting than the slimy plants and uneven ground surrounding them while they swim in the water. A strange heat fills Atobe's chest, which he figures might be an allergic reaction to the wild boar.

Atobe must admit that there is something exquisite in the feeling of swimming across waters that weren't owned by him or any other person, the view of the blue sky and green trees surrounding the river rather enjoyable as he lets himself float onto his back.

Mysteriously enough, the heat in Atobe's chest dissipates as soon as Tezuka lets his wrist go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there will probably be a second part to this...


	6. Kite

Kite takes a detour on his walk back to his hotel, enjoying the quiet evening of Kanagawa's suburban streets, not quite as soothing as his hometown, but still calmer than the bustling streets of New York, where he stayed inbetween his frequent business trips.

A quaint shop catches his attention, the bright yellow facade of the building mostly hidden behind countless flower boxes and climbing plants, trimmed around a window to allow passerby to get a good view of the colorful pastries and other sweets offered inside.

Kite can't ignore the growling in his stomach after a day spent presenting his upcoming clothing collection to potential clients and pushes open the shop's door, tempted by the variety of dessert the place seems to offer.

The sugary smell filling the air isn't particularly overwhelming, an assortment of white and pink lights giving the shop an unique ambiance. Colorful strings and clothespins hold up hundreds of pictures on one of the walls, Kite able to tell they depicted pictures of friends and couples enjoying food at the shop. A few showed people who Kite assumed were celebrities due to the autographs signed on them.

The clerk seems to be preoccupied by their sweeping while humming along to the pop song playing on speakers, swiftly cleaning around the cylindrical tables and pink stools despite their short and chubby stature.

"Good evening." Kite calls to get the clerk's attention, walking towards the counter.

"Hey! I totally didn't notice you there!" The clerk rests his broom against a wall and slips back behind the counter, his smile making wrinkles form around his eyes and mouth. "I was about to close up, but I sure have time for you! What can I serve you?"

The clerk winks and Kite is slightly taken aback by how forward he is, adjusting the net covering his red hair before washing his hands, not taking his eyes off of Kite for the whole time.

"Forgive my traditional choices, but I haven't been in the country much as of late... May I have these?" Kite points at the rice cakes and taiyaki of his choice, and requests a cup of tea.

"Coming right up. I know I said I was closing the shop, but you should eat here!" The clerk places the sweets on a wooden board and pours the drink in a round cup while talking continuously, glancing at Kite frequently. "You'll love this tea. The leaves all come from a friend of mine's garden."

"Sounds wonderful. I used to grow my own produce in my youth as well." Kite's words were apparently hilarious, the red head bursting out laughing.

"Your _'youth'_? Are you even any older than me?" The clerk's smile makes the corner of his eyes wrinkle, but he does seem to be close to Kite's age otherwise.

"I apologize. My teenage years seem so far away now." Kite chuckles as the clerk taps away on his cash register.

"That'll be 1200 yen. Have I met you before?" The clerk hands Kite the card reader while looking right into his eyes.

"I doubt that. I live out of the country." Kite smiles politely, taking the clerk's question as another attempt at flirting. He finishes the transaction and the red head hands him his tray of food.

"Hm. Weird. You're real familiar." The clerk leans his head sideways and brings a hand to his chin, popping a bubble with his gum. Kite's clothing brand wasn't particularly famous just yet, so he doubts that was where the other knew him from, unless he read fashion magazines in his free time. "Wait. Damn. Did you play tennis in your _'youth'_?"

Kite is surprised by the question, his tennis career having ended over a decade ago already, only pursuing his past passion in the form of a relaxing hobby and nostalgic talks with his childhood friends back home.

"Why yes, I did." Kite's answer makes the clerk's face light up.

"Kiteretsu, right? Buddy, we played doubles together!" He practically jumps over his shop's counter to come slap Kite's back, who can't bring himself to correct his name as a smile covers his face.

"Marui. What a coincidence." Kite shakes his hand, memories rushing back to him. His middle school years had been difficult and filled with struggles, but the last few months he had spent at a training camp had been life changing. Meeting Marui had been part of that, and seeing him again after so long feels like a stroke of luck.

"It sure is. Of all the stores you could've visited in town, it had to be mine!" Marui laughs, pulling a stool to let Kite sit on it, joining him at the table after removing his hair net.

"It's good to see you. Is this shop yours?" Kite gratefully accepts the seat, taking a bite out of a red bean flavored cake.

"Yeah! Opened it up 3 years ago. It's been doing real well thanks to my friends' support from... influential places." Marui chuckles, nodding towards the wall covered in photographs. "What have you been up to, Kiteretsu?"

"I founded a clothing company a few years back. I've been designing clothes and trying to make myself known around the industry, hence my visit." Kite replies, staring at the pictures hanging by clothespins. Now that he pays more attention, he thinks he recognizes a few faces on them.

"That's amazing. I remember how you'd help the guys around camp fix up and adjust their uniforms." Marui watches him eat, chewing on his gum while leaning on his hand. "Ever visit your buddies back home?"

"Of course. I go see my family as often as I can afford, and those guys might as well be part of it now." Kite smiles as he thinks of his friends and former teammates who had inherited their families' business for the most part, but never fail to keep Kite up to date on their shenanigans. "I see you're still close to your fellow Kings."

Marui laughs at that, standing up to walk towards the wall and unclip a few photographs. The first showed an imposing man staring right at the camera while holding the smallest looking cup of tea, and Kite recognizes him from both sports magazine covers and teenage memories.

"Sanada still visits us sometimes. Look at that geeky autograph. Can't stop himself from showing off his calligraphy skills." They laugh before Kite looks at the next picture, two beautiful men with long hair smiling towards the camera that seems to have interrupted their work on the flower boxes that currently decorated the shop's facade.

"Let me guess. This is the person who provides you with their homegrown tea leaves?" Kite points at the man he recognizes as Yukimura, and smiles when he realizes the other is Fuji, a friend he still kept in touch with.

"You got that right. Look at this one!" Marui hands him a picture of himself sitting besides who seems to be Jackal, but doesn't recognize the two others. The contrast between them was hilariously staggering, one of them sporting a wild hairstyle and several piercings while the other wore an impeccable suit, rectangular glasses and slicked back hair.

"Jackal looks good. Are you two still together?" Kite speaks up, his question making Marui laugh.

"I'm not sure what you mean by _together_. But we're flatmates right now, and his family's restaurant is right next door. They help me loads." Marui smiles and Kite is glad to know that his former doubles partner maintained good relationships with his team from middle school, much like Kite's own had. "Can't guess who the other two are, huh? It's Niou and Yagyuu."

"Now that you mention it... They haven't changed all that much." Kite laughs and looks through the next few pictures. One captured a traditional wedding scene, a tall man holding the hands of someone he didn't know. Sanada and Yukimura were standing next to the grooms, presumably the best men to who Kite assumes is Yanagi.

"I always knew Yanagi was going to be the first of us to tie the knot, man. His husband is a pretty cute guy too." Marui takes the picture from Kite's hand to stare at it from up close before nodding.

"The first one, really?" Kite smirks, incredibly curious about all this gossip regarding his middle school acquaintances.

"Well, _officially_. There's these two though..." Marui stands up again, scanning the wall before grabbing a picture by standing on the tip of his toes. He hands it to Kite, an awkwardly tall man smiling behind an ice cream cone while the long-haired person besides him glares at the camera while in the middle of eating. "It's Ootori and Shishido from Hyotei's team. They're so sickeningly lovey-dovey, even I'd get a cavity from watching them."

"You should be proud. I remember you playing relationship counselor for Ootori back at the camp." Kite says and they both laugh, perhaps somewhat envious of their acquaintances who had somehow managed to pursue their teenage romances. "I've had recent dealings with Hyotei as well, surprisingly. Remember Atobe?"

"If I remember him?" Marui bursts out laughing again. "I doubt anyone who's ever met that guy for more than one second would ever be able to forget him."

"True enough. Well, I had the unfortunate idea of using my middle school contacts to get him to model for one of my collections." Kite takes a sip from his tea, which tasted delicious indeed.

"Oh no." Marui smiles while grabbing one of Kite's taiyaki, not shying away from taking a bite out of the food Kite had only just bought from him.

"Oh yes. Let's just say I'm still questioning whether the jump in sales was worth all that trouble." Kite's words make Marui chuckle before he eats the pastry in his hand in two swift bites.

"You should visit our region more often. Get your boys to come up north too! I'm sure Yagyuu would love having all of you at one of his parties." Marui stands to go hang the pictures back up and walks behind his shop's counter to go get something. "And you need to give me your phone number or whatever else so we can keep in touch this time."

"Of course. I would be happy to see our old friends once more." Kite has to admit that the prospect makes him incredibly happy, and the practical part of him thinks keeping in touch with his more... successful childhood acquaintances might be useful for his own career.

"Nice. Now you need to take a picture with me so I can show you off to everyone who might drop by like you did." Marui walks back to the table with a camera in hand, leaning besides Kite while holding up his fingers and blowing a bubble. Kite leans towards him and holds two of his fingers up behind Marui's head. "Perfect!"

The photograph develops after a few minutes and Marui hangs it up on the wall while Kite finishes his drink. His former doubles partner then returns to his cleaning, asking Kite about his life and sharing all sorts of gossip about their old friends as he sweeps the floor and cleans the counter's glass.

"Do you still play tennis?" Marui asks, not seeming accusatory when Kite shakes his head.

"Only as an occasional hobby. What about you, Marui?" Kite takes one last sip of his drink, wondering if he could get Yukimura to share some of his herbs with him.

"Just when Jackal drags me out to play at the park. You can probably tell I'm not as in shape as I was as a teen anymore." Marui chuckles as he slaps his own stomach.

"You look better than you ever have." Kite says with a smile and honesty, looking at Marui and his warm smile and the wrinkles accenting the corners of his eyes and the way he was still the perfect balance of handsome and adorable.

"I know." Marui laughs and Kite joins him. "Where are you staying, Kiteretsu?"

"One of the hotels facing the stadium. I have another meeting in the morning." Kite replies while bringing his empty tray of food to the counter.

"That's too bad. I would've liked to spend more time together." Marui winks before putting away his broom and heading towards the counter.

"We could always arrange that. Old friends come before sleep, after all." Kite thinks he knows what Marui is getting at, but doesn't want to put too much hope in recreating teenage flings.

"Great. I'll finish closing up shop and we go to your room?" Marui smiles while cleaning the last few remaining dishes.

"Sounds good." Kite thanks his late evening craving and Marui's shop's eye-catching exterior.


	7. Kirihara

"Are you fucking with me!?" Kaidoh shouts, glaring at Kirihara with scary eyes while gulping down his beer.

"I wish I was!" Kirihara thinks his reply is hilarious, grinning at his friend before taking a long drag out of his cigarette.

"Shut up. What's your problem? There's no way I'd let you get in bed with Inui." Kaidoh snarls, but the way he kicks the snow at their feet around betrays his embarrassment.

"Awww come on! Aren't we great buddies now?" Kirihara pats Kaidoh's shoulder until he jerks away. "Plus, don't you two always fuck with Momo?"

"We don't--Shit. Just forget it." Kaidoh leans against the wall of the bar, looking up towards the cloudy sky in a bad attempt to hide the blush crawling up his cheeks.

"I just thought I'd ask since you seemed into threesomes, damn." Kirihara says nonchalantly, puffing out smoke both from his cigarette and because of the cold air.

"Momoshiro didn't send Inui to the hospital with countless contusions." Kaidoh looks at the ground, alcohol making him say more than he should. "Just saying."

"What!?" Kirihara feels his chest tighten, nervously rolling his cigarette between his lips. "Come on, you aren't still hung up on shit that happened when we were  kids , are you!?"

"No." Kaidoh mumbles before swallowing the rest of his beer. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"Whatever. It doesn't bother me." Kirihara crushes his cigarette in the ashtray, ignoring the trembling in his fingers and the sickness in his stomach.

Jeez. If that's what he gets for offering free blowjobs, he'd rather continue on with his unwilling abstinence lifestyle.

Kirihara wants to be angry at Kaidoh for bringing up their teenage years, but it's hard to do so, even for him. Kaidoh was his only friend who never asked why he dropped out of his pro career, why a P.E. teacher like him smokes, why he never talks to his former teammates, why he fucked his whole life up in general.

(All those questions had the same answer anyways, which could be summed up by having grown into an anxious wreck who couldn't function without constant validation.)

Kirihara's thoughts are interrupted by the sound of thumbs aggressively typing away at a screen, Kaidoh wearing the biggest scowl while writing on his phone.

"Who you booty calling there?" Kirihara smirks, leaning towards Kaidoh to sneak a look at his screen.

"Inui. I'm asking him." Kaidoh groans, elbowing him away.

"Whaaat? I thought you said no! Hahaha! Yes!!" Kirihara exclaims, jumping up and down.

"Shut it. He hasn't replied yet." Kaidoh mumbles, but he seems to be impatient as well, still staring at his screen. "Why do you have to ask me, anyways? Can't you make an effort like Zaizen?"

They both turn to look through the window and into the bar, Zaizen sitting alone at a bar stool, pretending he didn't know Momoshiro, Kamio and their other friends sitting at a table so that potential bachelors wouldn't be driven away by engagement rings and obnoxious personalities alike.

Kirihara and Kaidoh both snort when someone finally sits next to Zaizen, only for him to move three seats away. A master of seduction.

Kaidoh's phone vibrates and he hisses a few seconds later, frowning as he stares at his phone.

"What's up? He say anything?" Kirihara watches as Kaidoh's face turns red, burying his chin into his scarf.

"Um..." Kaidoh mumbles something incomprehensible and Kirihara snatches the phone out of his hand.

 

11:43PM  
why not? i haven't seen him since renji's wedding

11:43PM  
we could test the ropes and gag we bought on him, if that can reassure you haha

11:45PM  
it seems like our ropes are 8 meters in length and made out of jute. that should be more than enough to--

 

Kirihara cackles real loudly, shoving the phone back in Kaidoh's hands before folding in two laughing.

"Holy shit! I knew you guys weren't just into vanilla shit! Hahaha!" Kirihara elbows Kaidoh's side teasingly until he gets shoved away, still laughing.

"Shut up. Isn't this what you wanted?" Kaidoh grumbles, refusing to look at Kirihara.

"I guess!? I never tried that whole bondage thing, but!?" Kirihara gestures wildly, looking forward to receiving some attention, even if it was just for a short while. "I just really want dick, and I heard Inui's was like,"

Kirihara extends his hands in front of him, but Kaidoh turns away, clearly hiding his flustered face.

"I'm not even going to ask you who told you that." Kaidoh turns to his phone again, typing up a reply.

"Hmmm... Probably Momo? Or maybe even Zaizen? I'd say Echizen but I can't understand shit he says in that coded language anymore. Or maybe we got you a little too drunk one night. Oh!" Kirihara gasps dramatically. "What if I remember Yanagi telling me about it all those years ago? Jeez... All these possibilities..."

"Stop. Before I change my mind. I said I didn't want to know." Kaidoh's face is buried in his scarf again, his face redder from embarrassment than from the cold.

"Hehehe. You're fucking cute." Kirihara smirks before leaving a quick smooch on Kaidoh's cheek, and the way he gets pushed away this time isn't aggressive at all.

"Yeah. Let's go say bye to the others and get going." Kaidoh doesn't look at Kirihara as he heads back inside the bar.

Zaizen flips Kirihara off and Kirihara returns the favor as he walks out the door with Kaidoh.


End file.
